New Audi R8 Spyder Spotted Going For Broke At The Ring

Just a few days after our spies caught the second generation of the R8 Spyder out in the open, it was scooped again, this time, testing at the Nürburgring, of course…

Audi once again bucks the trend of folding hard-tops that’s been adopted by the likes of Ferrari and McLaren in favor of a traditional fabric one that’s both lighter, so it won’t affect the center of gravity, and of course less costly.

Other than the reinforced windshield to get rid of the bane of roadsters that is scuttle-shake and the louvred engine bay cover instead of the glass one, the new R8 Spyder is identical to the Coupe that wooed everyone who test-drove it, even if they found its design too close for comfort to the old one.

This means that it will use the same aluminum and carbonfibre spaceframe chassis and the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 in 540 and 610 PS versions, both available solely with the dual-clutch S Tronic seven-speeder and rear-biased all-wheel drive system.

Audi has ditched the 4.2-liter V8 in the rest of its range and replaced it with a turbocharged V6 in various states of tune, according to the model.

It seems therefore safe to assume that, unlike its predecessor, the upcoming entry-level variant will be powered by the same unit, with a displacement of 2.9 liters, which will have the added benefit of ducking under the barrier of China’s 3.0-liter punishing tax system.

The German manufacturer has kept its cards close to its chest so far concerning the launch date. Even so, it’s been billed as a 2016 MY model, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see it premiere at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show.